Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Shares Sold by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV trimmed its stake in Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) by 31.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,988 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,961 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Albertsons Companies were worth $333,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Albertsons Companies by 1.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 60,655 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,198,000 after acquiring an additional 933 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $687,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 3rd quarter worth about $1,629,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its position in Albertsons Companies by 22.1% during the 3rd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 107,792 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,992,000 after purchasing an additional 19,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Samson Rock Capital LLP acquired a new stake in Albertsons Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,419,000. 71.35% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Albertsons Companies Trading Down 2.5 %

Shares of ACI stock opened at $19.55 on Tuesday. Albertsons Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $17.00 and a twelve month high of $21.75. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $19.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $19.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.51.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 8th. The company reported $0.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.64 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $18.77 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $18.82 billion. Albertsons Companies had a net margin of 1.30% and a return on equity of 44.70%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.79 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Albertsons Companies, Inc. will post 2.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Albertsons Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Friday, January 24th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. This is a positive change from Albertsons Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 24th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.07%. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is presently 33.71%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $26.00 price objective on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 9th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $22.00 price objective for the company. Melius raised Albertsons Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Citigroup started coverage on Albertsons Companies in a research note on Friday, January 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $26.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Albertsons Companies from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $23.00.

Albertsons Companies Profile

Albertsons Companies, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of food and drug stores in the United States. The company’s food and drug retail stores offer grocery products, general merchandise, health and beauty care products, pharmacy, fuel, and other items and services. It also manufactures and processes food products for sale in stores.